Girl's West End date
THE principal of a Wear Valley stage school has heaped praise on a St Helen Auckland schoogirl selected to share the stage with two West End stars in a North-East musical.Nine year-old Mica Newcomb has won a role in hit musical Hello, Dolly! At Darlington Civic Centre later this month and was chosen for the part by principal of Stage Coach Theatre Arts Kate Ruddick.
Kate said: “I was asked to select a girl for the role and I instantly chose Mica. She is really talented and has a very beautiful singing voice for which she is receiving extra coaching with my sister. She is very pretty and matched exactly the criteria given to me by the show’s producer.”
Mica, a pupil at Copeland Road Primary School in West Auckland, has been diagnosed with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease, a rare genetic condition she was born with, which means frequent hospital visits for her and her parents Brian Newcomb and Tracey Reynolds. Kate said: “I don’t treat Mica any differently because of her illness, she is so funny and bubbly that you really would never know she had this condition. She is a lovely girl whom I have been involved with since she was just four.”
Mica will star alongside celebrity Darren Day, and ex-Eastender Anita Dobson (who played Angie Watts, the wife of Dirty Den). Mica was going to audition for a role in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang last year, but missed out after breaking her arm in a strenuous session of bouncing on her bed.
Kate said: ‘”I know how excited she was about the possibility of being in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and how disappointing it was for her not to be able to do it. Hopefully this makes up for that. I know she really deserves this role.”
For more information on Stage coach Theatre Arts, which meets every Sunday at King James School in Bishop Auckland, call Kate on 01388 664066.
